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This is the place that I will be going to for my HPV treatment, but if anyone is on here that is young enough to qualify for this (assuming because they need to be HPV-negative) you *REALLY* should take advantage of this. Mazzoni is one of the US's oldest LGBT health organizations.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the world. By the time most sexually active people reach the age of 25, they will likely have been exposed to the virus. HPV is responsible for anal and genital warts, and can lead to certain strains of cancer.

For women, the most serious risk is that certain strains of HPV can cause cervical cancer. However, the introduction of the Pap smear as part of a woman's routine medical check-up has all but eliminated this risk in the developed world.

Those same viral strains, which can cause cervical cancer, can also lead to anal cancer in men, particularly men who have sex with other men. Rates of anal cancer in men are currently about the same as the rates of cervical cancer before the widespread use of Pap smears. and studies have found that men infected with HIV have a greater risk of developing anal cancer.

This vaccine has already been FDA-approved for use by women, and is currently being marketed at Gardasil (c). Merck Corporation, which manufactures the drug, wants to test the vaccine's effectiveness for men.

"There are not a lot of large-scale clinical trials out there that deal specifically with the LGBT community," says Dr. Robert Winn, medical director at Mazzoni Center, and the person who is heading up the trials for this segment of the population study. "This study has the capacity to have a huge impact."

Dr. Winn says participation in the study could prove a significant step forward for Mazzoni. "It raises the Center's profile in the scientific community to be involved in a study of this magnitude," he says. "It definitely puts us on the radar screen."

* If you are between the ages of 16 and 26, and interested in participating in this compensated study, please contact Toni Resnick at 215-563-0652 ext. 228, or click here